Environmental parquet and strip/plank system for flooring, walls and ceilings

ABSTRACT

Parquet and strip/plank is unfinished 7/16″ thick solid straight edge construction assembled with a pressure-sensitive adhesive covered transparent non-shrinkable or non-expandable plastic tape on the top. It takes at least 6.6 times less amount of timber to produces this product versus traditional ¾″ thick tongue-and-grooved solid flooring. Strait edged (no tongue-and-grooved) construction is installed with rigid adhesive. The spaces between the floor and walls are filled with adhesive as well. Jobsite finish provides a product with a barrier against water, germs, bacteria and other micro organisms&#39; penetration, creating a healthy indoor air quality conditions. Installed parquet or strip/plank flooring system is non-destructible and eliminates landfill waste. Installation over radiant heated floor provides a significant saving in energy consumption. Proposed distribution system: developer/customer-parquet or strip/plank flooring manufacturer—and manufacturer&#39;s approved installer allows a creation of product custom designed for a project.

This Utility Application claiming priority of Provisional Application 60/933,280 filed on Jun. 5, 2007

TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to wood parquet. In particular, it relates to a system of manufacturing, producing, assembling and installation of parquet on the floor, wall and ceiling. This system allows installed flooring to be waterproof. Further, this system having no germs or other micro organisms will create healthy indoor air quality conditions for environmental purpose.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Wood flooring worldwide generally produced for nail down installation in form of strips being 1½″-3″ wide or planks being 3¼″ and wider in tongue and groove “nail-down” construction. Construction of this product is either solid wood having thickness of 5/16″-⅞″ or so-called engineered, where a top layer is solid wood having thickness of 1/32″- 5/32″ and a bottom layer is typically plywood.

Rarely wood flooring is made in form of parquet. Typically there are four main parquet constructions:

-   A. Solid wood having thickness of 5/16″ assembled with mesh backing     or steel, where all pieces are not attached to each other. -   B. Solid wood having thickness of 5/16″, where pieces are glued     together. -   C. Solid wood having thickness of ¾″, where all pieces are produced     and assembled into tiles. -   D. Engineered two-ply construction with top layer 1/64″- 5/64″ thick     glued to foundation. Foundation is having form of plywood or     different structure.

Strip/plank flooring with thickness of ¾″ is produced either unfinished or factory pre-finished.

All other above mentioned constructions are typically made factory pre-finished for convenient and fast installation. Quality of installed product and its performance in the future are not taken into consideration. In majority, pre-finished wood flooring is made with bevels of the top, which allows covering of imperfection of assembly.

Wood flooring worldwide mainly produced to be distributed trough following distribution channels: manufacturer-importer-distributor-retail store-installation contractor-customer. Parquet flooring, which is a part of this industry, distributed the same way with limited amount of designs and materials available in limited sizes of panels. No parquet manufacturer knows how and by whom his product is installed. Therefore, large parquet manufacturers don't make a product specially designed, properly sealed and made from materials, which should be used in its application.

While addressing the basic desirability of using parquet floor, the prior art has failed to address the environmental issues arising out of uneconomical use of the forest, lack of water resistant long-lasting parquet materials, insufficiency of indoor air quality and ability to provide significant energy consumption saving. The prior art product both strip/plank and parquet have a lot of environmental disadvantages in the following areas:

-   A. One of the major disadvantages of the prior art is waste of the     forest to be used for its production. -   a. Presence of tongue which is about ¼″ wide requires about 10%     extra forest to be cut without any usable reason. -   b. Solid ¾″ thick tongue and groove strip/plank and parquet     construction which is being produced from 4/4″ thick lumber has a     usable or sandable thickness of ⅛″ allowing four sandings. It takes     three board feet of timber to be cut to produce one square foot of     such flooring. Each sanding should be done after 10 years of usage.     Each sanding removes about 1/32″ of the thickness. Therefore, this     product will last approximately 40 years. It will require 2.75″     lumber thickness to produce such product during 100 years of its     usage. Therefore, it will require 8.25 board feet of timber to be     cut. -   c. Solid 5/16″ tongue and groove strip/plank flooring or 5/16″     parquet construction does not have any usable or sandable thickness     and is a disposable product, which must be replaced after     approximately 10 years. It takes 1.5 board feet of timber to be cut     to produce one square foot of such flooring. Only 2 pieces of such     construction might be produced from 4/4″ thick lumber. Thus, 100     years of its usage requires 5.5″ lumber thickness to be cut.     Therefore, it will require 16.5 board feet of timber to be cut. -   d. Engineered construction is two-ply construction consisting of     solid hardwood with thickness from 1/64″ to 5/64″ on the top and     mainly ½″ thick plywood on the bottom. It requires about 4/4″ of     lumber to produce such product. It takes 2.5 board feet of timber to     be cut to produce one square feet of such flooring. In the best case     of the most advanced construction where top layer is 5/64″ sandable     thickness is 3/64″ which allows 2 sandings during its lifetime     (equal 20 years). It will require 5½″ thickness of lumber to produce     such product during 100 years of its usage. Therefore, it will     require 13.75 board feet of timber to be cut. Engineered     construction with thickness of the top ply 1/64″-⅛″ are unsandable     and disposable. -   B. All above mentioned constructions are installed either nailed     down to wooden foundation or glued down to the concrete. After     installation all tongue and groove products provide flooring where     all components are assembled together by tongue and groove and/or     nails. Those floors shrink during winter time when air humidity     become low from use of air-heating systems or expand during warmer     seasons by increased level of air humidity and must be installed     with spaces between them and walls of the rooms to provide floor     expansions. But those spaces become disastrous in case of pluming     leak, water flow from broken pipes, and standing water created by     either sprinkler system failure or other flooding problems. Water     flows within those spaces reaching between each part of the floor     and eventually under the floor creating its full destruction. -   C. Another disadvantage of prior art is insufficiency of indoor air     quality. About seventy millions people in the United States have     such health problems as asthma and allergy. Absence of germs,     bacteria, microbes, and other micro organisms inside of the wood     flooring, walls, and spaces between help to prevent or assist in     preventing and minimizing those health problems while people are     inside of the buildings. Typical tongue and groove nailed down wood     flooring construction “have to breathe” therefore spaces between     flooring and walls are left completely opened. In the case of     prefinished flooring, which is the biggest and the most growing part     of worldwide market today, it does not allow applying any finishing     protection on the top of the floor after its installation because     otherwise manufacturer's warranties would not be valid. Unfinished     tongue and groove wood floors which are jobsite finished do not     provide solid rug because of the movements in the floor. Each part     of the floor is shrinking or expanding. Tongue and groove factory     prefinished or jobsite finished flooring provides conditions for     standing water, germs, microbes, bacteria, and other micro organisms     creating all kind of unhealthy indoor quality. In many cases such     flooring has beveled edges which also provide mentioned above     problems. -   D. Environmental movement in the United States and around the globe     now requires usage of “green” products. For instance, “Ecobuild     Federal” conference promoted the goals of the federal government     sustainability programs. The following are those goals:     -   a. Usage of long-lasting materials saves much more natural         resources over their lifetime and is much more important factor         than their incremental first costs;     -   b. Productivity. Studies show that organizations may lower         absenteeism and increase productivity when buildings are         healthier, more pleasant places to work;     -   c. Better health, well-being, and task performance to         sustainable features. Liability associated with usage of sick         building materials can be reduced. -   E. United States Building Council (U.S.G.B.C.), a Washington, D.C.     based coalition established the LEED green building rating system to     accelerate the development and implementation of “green design”.     Important parts of which are:     -   a. Conservation of materials and resources including a saving of         forest to be cut;     -   b. Lowering amount of waste to be put in landfalls;     -   c. Healthy indoor air quality;     -   d. Reduced energy consumption.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is object of this invention to create a distribution system: developer/customer-parquet or strip/plank manufacturer-manufacturer's approved installer, which allows a production of non-destructible and permanently healthy wooden system with lifetime of one hundred years or more to be used for indoor purposes including floors, walls, and ceiling surfaces in the areas with different temperature and moisture conditions—from dry to highly humid conditions where temperature is very high.

It is another object of this invention to use straight edges construction which is installed with rigid, unmovable adhesive and create a solid wooden rug on the floor providing permanent, unmovable spaces between floor and walls. Those spaces will be filled with the same adhesive, protecting floor from water penetration inside the floor. After proper sealing and finishing of installed floor no germs, bacteria or other micro organisms might penetrate inside, which allows a creation of healthy indoor air quality conditions.

This system consists of specially designed parquet material and properly controllable by manufacturer installation procedure. Parquet material is unfinished solid straight edge, not tongue and groove, 7/16″ thick wooden construction composed of parts of one or more different shapes with pressure-sensitive adhesive covered transparent non-shrinkable or non-expendable plastic tape on the top. Those shapes include strip/plank tile construction as well.

7/16″ thick parquet of strip/plank solid straight edge, not tongue and groove construction provides 5/16″ thick usable/sandable portion of the product allowing about 10 sandings and 100 years of lifetime usage. Additionally, we can produce 2 pieces of parquet from 4/4″ thick lumber. Therefore, only ½″ of lumber will be out during 100 years of usage. The same product thinner than 7/16″ can be used, but it would not be as environmental as 7/16″ because its sandable thickness would be thinner and therefore lifetime of the product would be shorter. This issue alone without consideration of flood or other related water problems (which will result in destruction of any tongue and groove product) gives this construction a huge environmental advantage. It requires at a minimum a 6.6 times less amount of forest to be cut during 100 years versus ¾″ thick solid tongue and groove product. Other constructions provide 10 times more waste or higher.

Each parquet tile has to be installed over properly prepared sub-floor with waterproof glue in such a way, that adhesive will fully cover bottom of the tiles, fill spaces between each piece of the tile sealing pores of the wood on the end of each piece creating a “solid rug” on the floor. Tiles going next to walls have to be cut in such a way as to provide ¼″ space between floor and walls. During installation those spaces have to be fully filled so the glue is come-out on the surface of parquet, providing non-destructible parquet or strip/plank flooring system. Top of the parquet and strip/plank has to be sanded, filled and finished by waterproof finish providing protection of all six surfaces.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT AND BEST MODE

The objectives of this invention are to create non-destructible and permanently healthy wooden system with lifetime of one hundred years or more to be used for indoor purposes including floors, walls, and ceiling surfaces in the areas with different temperature and moisture conditions—from dry to highly humid conditions where temperature is very high. Additionally, this product might be used outside as well. Areas of applications: buildings, ships, boats, airplanes, etc. For ships, boats and airplanes thinner materials can be used taking weight factor into consideration. When thinner materials are used and additional sanding becomes impossible lifetime of one hundred years or more can be achieved through special maintenance procedure.

Creation of System Parquet Materials

This system consists of parquet material and properly controllable by manufacturer installation procedure. Parquet material is unfinished solid straight edge, not tongue and groove, 7/16″ thick wooden construction composed of parts of one or more different shapes with pressure-sensitive adhesive covered transparent non-shrinkable or non-expendable plastic tape on the top. Those shapes include strip/plank tile construction as well.

All components of tiles have to be roughly sanded on the bottom by sander (not produced by molder or planer) providing “hungry” surface for excellent glue bond from the bottom. Parquet and strip/plank tiles has to be assembled with spaces between each piece providing an opportunity for the glue to fill those spaces during installation creating a solid structure and sealing pores of the wood on the end of each piece.

Assembled tiles have to be packed by sealing of all six surfaces of the box. Such packaging provides safe storage of parquet in factory, during transportation, and on the jobsite storage guarantying non-movement of parts of assembled product.

When parquet material is designed for decorative purposes to apply on walls or ceilings different than 7/16″ material can be used.

Installation Process

Foundation for the parquet installation must be structurally stable and non-destructible. Concrete foundation must be non-breakable, dry and sealed. Plywood sub-floor must be dry and properly attached to the base, eliminating movement of screws or nails which creates a squeaking. Sub-floor must be roughly sanded and free of dirt, paint, etc. Parquet and strip or plank from boxes has to be removed just before installation and each tile placed on rigid adhesive in such a way that glue will cover bottom of parquet, fill the spaces between each slot, sealing pores of the wood on the ends of each slot creating a solid floor. Parquet tiles have to be installed in such a way that provides ¼″ space between itself and walls. During installation those spaces must be fully filled and glue has to come-out on the surface of parquet, providing non-destructible parquet or strip/plank flooring system.

Parquet and strip/plank flooring will be roughly sanded, sealed on the top, and finished according to customer's specification. Sealing coat(s) must cover the entire top surface of installed floor completely separating the wood of the parquet and the air in the room.

Environmental Advantages

7/16″ thick parquet of strip/plank solid straight edge, not tongue and groove construction provides 5/16″ thick usable/sandable portion of the product allowing about 10 sandings and 100 years of lifetime usage. It takes 2.5 board of timber to be cut to produce one board floor of such product. Additionally, we can produce 2 pieces of parquet from 4/4″ thick lumber. 1.25 board feet of lumber will be cut during 100 years of usage. The same product thinner than 7/16″ can be used, but it would not be as environmental as 7/16″ because its sandable thickness would be thinner and therefore lifetime of the product would be shorter. This issue alone without consideration of flood or other related water problems (which will result in destruction of any tongue and groove product) gives this construction a huge environmental advantage. It requires at a minimum a 6.6 times less amount of forest to be cut during 100 years versus ¾″ thick solid tongue and groove product. Other constructions provide 10 times more waste or higher.

Proposed distribution system: developer/customer-manufacturer-controllable installation provides an opportunity to produce a product for a specific project in such sizes that will result in a minimum waste. Such issue will additionally provide 7-10% of saving of materials to be produced.

Our installed parquet of strip/plank flooring system is non-destructible and therefore completely eliminates landfill waste.

Our wood flooring system allows us to achieve a healthy indoor air quality environment. Straight edges construction of our invention without tongue and groove which is installed with rigid, unmovable adhesive creates a solid wooden rug on the floor providing permanent, unmovable spaces between floor and walls. Those spaces are fully filled with adhesives. Jobsite finish where surface of entire unmovable floor is fully sealed and finished provides a barrier to water, germs, bacteria and other micro organisms' penetration.

Our construction with thickness of 7/16″ straight edge (no tongue and groove) parquet of strip/plank system can be glued directly to concrete with energy efficient radiant heating system installed into the concrete. Small thickness of our construction provides limited loss of energy versus other types of wood flooring constructions and results in 20-30% saving in energy consumption.

Our parquet construction made from small pieces of wood allows usage of a low-grade timber or waste/leftover of other hardwood production such as long strip/plank, door components, etc.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 depicts environmental solid straight edge (no tongue and groove) parquet glued down installation. 1. Sub-floor; 2. Solid straight edge (no tongue and groove) parquet flooring; 3. Waterproof glue; 4. Tape with adhesive; 5. Space between parquet and walls filled with waterproof glue; 6. Wall.

FIG. 2 depicts environmental solid straight edge (no tongue and groove) parquet flooring. 1. Typical solid straight edge (no tongue and groove) 7/16″ thick parquet flooring; 2. Usable and sandable portion is 5/16″ thick.

FIG. 3 depicts environmental solid straight edge (no tongue and groove) parquet glued down installation). Forces created by excessive moisture in this construction. 1. Sub-floor; 2. Solid straight edge (no tongue and groove) parquet flooring; 3. Waterproof glue; 4. Tape with adhesive; 5. Direction of wood movement created by excessive moisture.

FIG. 4 depicts environmental solid straight edge (no tongue and groove) parquet glued down installation. Results of excessive moisture in this construction. 1. Sub-floor; 2. Solid straight edge (no tongue and groove) parquet flooring; 3. Waterproof glue; 4. Direction of wood movement created by excessive moisture.

FIG. 5 depicts typical ¾″ (19 mm) solid tongue and groove hardwood flooring mailed down installation. 1. Sub-floor; 2. Typical ¾″ (19 mm) thick solid tongue and groove hardwood flooring; 3. Nail; 4. Space between parquet and walls to provide its expansion; 5. Wall.

FIG. 6 depicts typical ¾″×2¼″ tongue and groove hardwood flooring. 1. ¾″×2¼″ hardwood flooring; 2. Groove (approx. ¼″× 5/16″); 3. Tongue (approx. ¼″×¼″); 4. Usable/sandable portion (approx. ⅛″); 5. Non-usable, wasteful portion (approx. ⅝″).

FIG. 7 depicts typical ¾″ (19 mm) solid tongue and groove hardwood flooring (nailed down installation). Direction of wood movement created by excessive moisture. 1. Sub-floor; 2. Typical ¾″ (19 mm) thick solid tongue and groove hardwood flooring; 3. Nail; 4. Direction of wood movement created by excessive moisture.

FIG. 8 depicts typical ¾″ (19 mm) solid tongue and groove hardwood flooring nailed down installation. Result of excessive moisture in this construction. 1. Sub-floor; 2. Typical ¾″ (19 mm) thick solid tongue and groove hardwood flooring; 3. Nail. 

1. Distribution system: developer/customer-parquet or strip/plank flooring manufacturer-manufacturer's approved installer allows a creation of the product custom designed for a project with a proper construction, size scaling and material selections. This product would have the following environmental advantages: huge savings of natural resources for its production, healthy interior air quality conditions, great longevity, absence of landfill waste, and significant savings in energy consumption when it is installed over radiant heated subfloors.
 2. A distribution system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: 7/16″ thick solid straight edge (not tongue and groove) construction saves at least 6.6 times amount of timber to be cut versus next closest wood flooring construction.
 3. A distribution system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: all parquet is made by manufacturer for the specific customer or project. Therefore all designs can be scaled to the size providing the highest yield for each project. Such sealing additionally saves at least 5-7% amount of timber to be cut, versus typical commodity standard sizes products.
 4. A distribution system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: solid straight edge (no tongue and groove) glued down completely sealed wood flooring system is non-destructible and therefore completely eliminates landfill waste.
 5. A distribution system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: solid straight edge (no tongue and groove) glued down completely sealed wood flooring system provides ideal healthy indoor air quality environment.
 6. A distribution system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: 7/16″ thick straight edge (no tongue and groove) glued down parquet or strip/plank flooring system results in significant (20%-30%) energy savings when installed over radiant heated concrete subfloors.
 7. 7/16″ thick straight edge (no tongue and groove) parquet or strip/plank flooring has to be manufactured, assembled and packaged in such a way, that allows after its storage, installation and finishing a creation of healthy and non-destructible floor.
 8. A system, as in claim 7, further comprising: all parts must be roughly sanded on the bottom by sander (not by running through moulders or a planer) which makes its surface “hungry” and provides a better glue bond to the floor foundation.
 9. A system, as in claim 7, further comprising: parquet and strip/plank tiles has to be assembled with spaces between each piece providing an opportunity for the glue to fill those spaces during installation creating a solid structure and sealing pores of the wood on the end of each piece.
 10. A system, as in claim 7, further comprising: parquet and strip/plank tiles are unfinished 7/16″ thick solid straight edge (no tongue and groove) construction assembled with a pressure-sensitive adhesive covered transparent non-shrinkable or non-expandable plastic tape on the top.
 11. A system, as in claim 7, further comprising: parquet and strip/plank tiles have to be packed in boxes with the same tape as parquet, covering all six surfaces of the boxes concealing moisture of the wood and providing its protection during transportation and storage.
 12. parquet and strip/plank tiles have to be removed from the box just before installation and each tile has to be installed over properly prepared sub-floor with rigid, unmovable, waterproof glue in such a way, that adhesive will fully cover bottom of the tiles, fill spaces between each piece of the tile sealing pores of the wood on the end of each piece creating a “solid rug” on the floor. Tiles going next to walls have to be cut in such a way as to provide ¼″ space between floor and walls. During installation those spaces have to be fully filled so the glue has to come-out on the surface of parquet. Top of the parquet and strip/plank has to be sanded, filled and finished by waterproof finish providing protection of all six surfaces. 